war on wanthttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/taxonomy/term/2233/all
enCanada trade deal threat to UK food safety say campaignershttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23388
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<p>EU-Canada trade deal CETA is a major threat to UK food safety, a new report published by War on Want and allies in Europe and Canada has warned.</p>
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<p>EU-Canada trade deal CETA is a major threat to UK food safety, a new report published by War on Want and allies in Europe and Canada has warned.</p>
<p>The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a major trade deal negotiated in secret over five years between Canada and the European Union (EU).</p>
<p><em>Food Safety, Agriculture and Regulatory Cooperation in the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement</em> , highlights the huge differences in food safety rules between Canada and the EU – which will lead to a reduction in standards in Europe. In addition to endangering public health through changes to food safety rules, the report highlights the threat posed to European farmers by Canadian agribusiness.</p>
<p>War on Want senior trade campaigner Mark Dearn said: “We cannot let our food safety rules or the livelihoods of European farmers be traded away for the sake of Canadian agribusiness profits. It is critical that the European Parliament stops this deal, which is opposed by more than 3.4 million people across Europe.</p>
<p>“For the UK this is of extra importance, as under CETA’s anti-democratic terms, we could still be open to being sued in corporate courts up to 20 years after leaving the EU. Chefs like Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have rightly highlighted the immense threat posed to food safety by TTIP. CETA is no different – it must be immediately rejected.”</p>
<p>CETA is a ‘new generation’ trade deal similar to the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): much like TTIP, it seeks to eradicate social, health and environmental protections which may harm corporate profits, lock-in the privatisation of public services and introduce an ‘corporate court’ system so corporations can sue governments for lost profits, says War on Want.</p>
<p>* Read the report <em>Food Safety, Agriculture and Regulatory Cooperation in the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement</em> <a target="_blank" href="http://canadians.org/sites/default/files/publications/report-ceta-food-safety-english.pdf">here</a></p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefcanadaEuropean UnionfoodUK Newsunited kingdomwar on wantWed, 31 Aug 2016 06:48:54 +0000agency reporter23388 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukNew Parliamentary group on Eritrea launchedhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22827
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<p>The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eritrea was launched yesterday (9 March) following months of campaigning by&nbsp; Eritrea Focus.</p>
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<p>The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eritrea was launched yesterday (9 March) following months of campaigning by&nbsp; Eritrea Focus.</p>
<p>The APPG on Eritrea is a response to the lack of awareness and high-level debate on the worsening situation in the country.</p>
<p>According to the United Nations, the government of Eritrea is responsible for systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, which has created a climate of fear and stifled dissent. Many Eritreans are subjected to forced labour and imprisonment, and hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country. A significant number of which have sought asylum in the UK.</p>
<p>Eritrea is one of poorest countries in the world, says&nbsp; Eritrea Focus partner War on Want. Its economy has been in chaos since the disastrous border war with Ethiopia in 1998-1999. Eritrea is also one of the most repressive states in the world, with severe limitations on rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression and information. The country is ranked last on the <em>Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index</em>.</p>
<p>The lack of basic human rights and freedoms is a key driver of emigration, with Eritreans making up a significant proportion of the flow of refugees into Europe.</p>
<p>Tom Lebert, Senior Programme Officer (Africa) at War on Want said: “The plight of Eritreans and the voice of a growing Eritrean diaspora in the UK is rarely heard, yet Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in the world and its people subject to gross human rights abuses.</p>
<p>“The All-Party Parliamentary Group is significant step to raising awareness of this oppressive regime, and War on Want congratulates Eritrea Focus and the cross-party parliamentarians concerned on this achievement.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“We hope the key challenges facing Eritrean asylum seekers in the UK can now be addressed and that pressure can be brought to bear on the Eritrean government with regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms”.</p>
<p>The newly elected&nbsp; officers of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eritrea are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Chair: Matthew Pennycook MP (Labour, Greenwich and Woolwich)</li>
<li>Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour)</li>
<li>Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)</li>
<li>Jeremy Lefroy MP(Conservative, Stafford)</li>
<li>Ann Clwyd MP (Labour, Cynon Valley)</li>
<li>Patrick Grady MP (SNP, Glasgow North)</li>
</ul>
<p>* <em>Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index</em> <a target="_blank" title="Reporters Without Borders Worls Press Freedon Index" href="https://index.rsf.org/#!/">here</a></p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
<p>* Eritrea Focus <a href="http://assenna.com/eritrea-focus/www.waronwant.org/" title="http://assenna.com/eritrea-focus/www.waronwant.org/">http://assenna.com/eritrea-focus/www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
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EqualityPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefasylum seekersEritreahuman rights violationsUK NewsUK parliamentwar on wantThu, 10 Mar 2016 09:30:59 +0000agency reporter22827 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukCase against anti-drone protestors collapseshttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22433
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<p>All charges against 19 anti-drone protestors have been dropped, after the Crown Prosecution Service admitted there was no realistic prospect of conviction.</p>
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<p>All charges against 19 anti-drone protestors have been dropped, after the Crown Prosecution Service admitted there was no realistic prospect of conviction.</p>
<p>The 19 were arrested for protesting at UAV Engines Ltd, in Shenstone, Staffordshire, on 6 July 2015, one year after Israel's attacks on Gaza in 2014. UAV Engines Ltd is wholly owned by Elbit Systems, an Israeli company manufacturing military drones used to attack Gaza.</p>
<p>Speaking after the charges against her were dropped, Hilary Smith<strong>,</strong> said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has finally conceded they have no case. Taxpayers' money has been wasted on a police operation and prosecution, all based on a bogus injunction.</p>
<p>“We protested peacefully at a factory owned by this Israeli company involved in drone wars against Palestinians. It is Elbit who should be in the dock.”</p>
<p>Ryvka Barnard, Senior Militarism and Security Campaigner at War on Want<strong>,</strong> said: “It would have been a scandal for people to have been made criminals for protesting the manufacture of weapons used in war crimes. This is a victory for the right to protest.</p>
<p>“As long as the UK continues its deadly arms trade with Israel, it remains complicit in crimes against the Palestinian people and the brutality of Israeli Apartheid. We will continue to fight for the rights of Palestinians.”</p>
<p>At the height of the Gaza war in 2014, nine protestors occupied the roof of the Shenstone factory. <a target="_blank" title="Shenstone protest" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/outcry-as-cps-drops-trial-of-anti-drone-protesters-at-last-minute-10014839.html">The prosecution collapsed</a> in February when the company refused to provide details of military export licences and investigations into its trade with Israel.</p>
<p>On 1 July, UAV Engines obtained an injunction to prevent any demonstration within 250 metres of the site entrance. On 27 October, the Birmingham High Court removed the injunction <em>ab initio</em>, with the Judge declaring that it “had never existed”, as the company had failed to disclose the history of peaceful protest at the site.</p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
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Peace and NonviolenceNews Briefdronesgazaisrael-palestinepeaceful protestUK Newswar on wantMon, 07 Dec 2015 09:45:21 +0000agency reporter22433 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukEU-US trade deal a 'danger to public health' say campaignershttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22372
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<p>A new film,&nbsp;<em>Death on a plate: TTIP, meat inspections and your food,</em>&nbsp;launched today by UNISON and War on Want, lays bare the grave threat a new trade deal poses to the food we eat.</p>
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<p>A new film,&nbsp;<em>Death on a plate: TTIP, meat inspections and your food,</em>&nbsp;launched today (26 November) by UNISON and War on Want, lays bare the grave threat a new trade deal poses to the food we eat.</p>
<p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, is currently being negotiated by the EU and the US. As part of the trade deal, the EU wants to end port inspections of imported meat products – even when lives are threatened by new outbreaks of BSE, e-coli, salmonella, and other fatal diseases, say War on Want and Unison.</p>
<p>At the same time, the EU is planning to put an end to independent meat inspections in Britain and other European countries, despite fears this will lead to new outbreaks of food poisoning and thousands of food-related deaths.</p>
<p>John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want, said“Millions of people across Britain will be put at risk of eating contaminated food if new rules on meat production are brought in by Brussels.&nbsp; Using TTIP to scrap port inspections of imported meat is a threat to people’s lives.</p>
<p>“It is no secret big business sees EU food standards as a barrier to profits, yet it is these standards that protect public health and animal welfare. It is time politicians listened to the 3.3 million Europeans who are calling for an end to TTIP negotiations. Food safety is a matter of life and death.”</p>
<p>Paul Bell, National Officer at UNISON, said: We are hugely concerned at the public health implications of ending independent meat inspections.</p>
<p>“Removing contamination from meat saves lives. Given the many instances of contaminated meat found by independent meat inspectors each year, we should be raising standards, not lowering them. This is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.”</p>
<p>*&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>Death on a plate: TTIP, meat inspections and your food</em> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=kYxIfHqjhBg" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=kYxIfHqjhBg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=kYxIfHqjhBg</a></p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
<p>* Unison <a href="https://www.unison.org.uk/" title="https://www.unison.org.uk/">https://www.unison.org.uk/</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefEuropean Unionmeatpublic healthttipUK NewsunisonUnited Stateswar on wantThu, 26 Nov 2015 09:29:49 +0000Agencies22372 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukUK licensed arms sale to Israel in four months following Gaza bombinghttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21856
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<p>Government figures show that the UK approved £4 million worth of arms sales to Israel in the four months that followed last year's bombardment of Gaza.</p>
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<p>The latest official government figures, collated by War on Want, Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Campaign Against Arms Trade, reveal that the UK approved £4 million worth of arms sales to Israel in the four months that followed last year's bombardment of Gaza.</p>
<p>The licences cover equipment which is likely to be used if violence resumes, including components for military helicopters and licences for military guidance/navigation equipment. There were also 36 licences to third party countries for weapons being sold to Israel; including licences for components for surface-to-surface missiles, combat helicopters and military communications equipment.</p>
<p>The revelations are included in <em>Arming Apartheid: UK Complicity in Israel's Crimes Against the Palestinian People</em>," a new report written by David Wearing, researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and published jointly by the three organisations. The report focuses on the extent and nature of the arms trade between the UK and Israel.</p>
<p>Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said:<br />
"More than 2000 people died in Israel's bombardment of Gaza, and yet in the months immediately following the conflict it was business as usual for the UK government and the arms companies they support."</p>
<p>Last year, a review overseen by the then Business Secretary Vince Cable identified twelve licences for components which it concluded may have been used in the 2014 assault. However, despite its own findings the Government chose not to revoke or even suspend a single licence.</p>
<p>The continuation of arms sales represents a form of political as well as material support from the UK to Israel despite the construction of the 'apartheid wall' in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements there and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.</p>
<p>Sarah Colborne, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign said:"By continuing to arm Israel, the UK government continues to arm apartheid. Sanctions are vital if the Palestinians are to see a future free from occupation, apartheid, killings and destruction."</p>
<p>The three organisations have called for a full two-way arms embargo, comprising an end to exports, imports and all others forms of military collaboration.</p>
<p>Ryvka Barnard Senior Campaigner on Militarism and Security at War on Want said: "The Arming Apartheid report exposes the UK government's continued complicity in Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people, making the campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on Israel, now in its 10th year, as important as ever. Only a full two-way arms embargo can ensure the UK will no longer be complicit in Israeli states crimes and abuses. </p>
<p>The UK has a history of irresponsible arms sales to Israel. A Ministerial Statement on 21 April 2009, by the then Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary David Miliband, confirmed that Israeli equipment used in Gaza in the 2008-9 conflict “almost certainly” contained UK-supplied components.</p>
<p>* Read <em>Arming Apartheid: UK Complicity in Israel's Crimes Against the Palestinian People</em> here: <a href="https://www.stoparmingisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/arming-apartheid.pdf" title="https://www.stoparmingisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/arming-apartheid.pdf">https://www.stoparmingisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/arming-apartheid.pdf</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews Briefarms salescaat. campaign against arms tradegazaisraelpalestinepalestine solidarity campaignUK governmentUK Newswar on wantThu, 02 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000Agencies21856 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukRana Plaza compensation fund finally meets targethttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21772
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<p>The international fund set up to compensate victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh has now met its target of $30m after a significant anonymous donation.</p>
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<p>The international fund set up to compensate victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, in which 1,137 people died, has now met its target of $30m (£19.63m) after a significant anonymous donation.</p>
<p>For the last two years, campaigners have been demanding that brands and retailers provide compensation to the injured workers and the families of those who died. More than a million consumers around the world have publicised the high street companies whose products were made in one of the five factories housed in the structurally unsafe building. </p>
<p>Bennetton was the last major western fashion retailer to donate, contributing $1.1m (£740,000) in April this year.</p>
<p>Owen Espley, Sweatshops campaigner at the anti-poverty charity War on Want, said: “Finally, two years on since the Rana Plaza disaster, the victims and their families will receive the compensation to which they are entitled. This is great news and shows what can be achieved when people from across the world come together to fight injustice.</p>
<p>"However, this is not the end. We will not rest until the exploitative global garment industry is held accountable and the people who make our clothes are paid a living wage, enjoy safe conditions and are free to join a trade union.”</p>
<p>The Clean Clothes Campaign, which has been campaigning since the disaster in April 2013, is calling for changes which will ensure those affected by future disasters receive more timely support. It has welcomed a new initiative by the Internaional Labour Organisation in Bangladesh to develop a national workplace injury scheme for the country’s 4 million garment workers and has urged European politicians to develop better regulation of supply chains.</p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a><br />
*The Clean Clothes Campaign <a href="http://www.cleanclothes.org/" title="http://www.cleanclothes.org/">http://www.cleanclothes.org/</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews Briefbangladeshclean clothes campaigncompensationgarment workersrana plazawar on wantWorld NewsMon, 08 Jun 2015 23:00:00 +0000staff writers21772 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukMEPs accused of ‘betraying the European people’ in TTIP votehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21749
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<p>The anti-poverty charity, War on Want says the voice of the European people on TTIP has been ignored by members of the European Parliament’s trade committee.</p>
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<p>The voice of the European people was ignored when members of the European Parliament’s trade committee agreed a resolution backing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for the full parliament to vote on next month, says the anti-poverty charity, War on Want.</p>
<p>The organisation claims the vote flies in the face of European public opinion, with almost two million people signing a European Citizens’ Initiative opposing the secretive EU-US trade deal.</p>
<p>The full European Parliament will now vote on the compromise text at its next plenary in Strasbourg during the week of 8 June.</p>
<p>War on Want Executive Director John Hilary said: “Millions of people across Europe have said no to TTIP, in the strongest trade campaign we have ever seen. Yet MEPs have turned their backs on their own constituents, choosing instead to side with the business lobbyists of Brussels. This is an outright betrayal of the European people, and we shall not forget it.”</p>
<p>MEPs also backed the European Commission's controversial proposal for an ‘investor-state dispute settlement’ (ISDS) system, which grants privileged powers to foreign corporations.</p>
<p>War on Want says the text presented by committee chairperson Bernd Lange dropped a key phrase rejecting the use of ISDS "at the eleventh hour", and supported instead the new proposals for ISDS in TTIP introduced by EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström earlier this month.</p>
<p>Lange was publicly criticised by other MEPs for the procedure adopted in pushing through his support for ISDS.</p>
<p>There have been a slew of publicised ISDS cases highlighting how corporations have sued states for laws protecting public health and the environment, among others.</p>
<p>ISDS was removed from TTIP negotiations in January 2014. The European Commission later conducted a public consultation which received a record 150,000 responses, over 97 per cent of which were against ISDS.</p>
<p>* See the European Citizens’ Initiative against TTIP and CETA here: <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/news/press-releases/18321-meps-accused-of-betraying-the-european-people-in-ttip-vote" title="www.waronwant.org/news/press-releases/18321-meps-accused-of-betraying-the-european-people-in-ttip-vote">www.waronwant.org/news/press-releases/18321-meps-accused-of-betraying-th...</a></p>
<p>* The European Commission consultation on TTIP (completedJuly 2014) can be read here: <a href="http://trade.ec.europa.eu/consultations/index.cfm?consul_id=179" title="http://trade.ec.europa.eu/consultations/index.cfm?consul_id=179">http://trade.ec.europa.eu/consultations/index.cfm?consul_id=179</a></p>
<p>* War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
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Living EconomyPeople and PowerNews BriefEuropean CommissionEuropean Paliamentinvestor-state dispute settlement.isdsttipwar on wantWorld NewsSat, 30 May 2015 23:00:00 +0000agency reporter21749 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukChristian peacemakers join Global Day of Action on Military Spendinghttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21591
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<p>On 13 April, Pax Christi and Quaker Peace and Social Witness will join the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) in challenging the $1.75 trillion annual spend on the military and on war.</p>
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<p>On Monday 13 April, Pax Christi and Quaker Peace and Social Witness will join the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS), in challenging the $1.75 trillion spent anually on the military and on war. </p>
<p>In London, Pax Christi will conduct a ‘people’s ballot’, inviting people to choose their priorities for a safer world. You can find a list of events<a href="http://demilitarize.org.uk/events-2/"> here.</a> There is also an <a href="http://demilitarize.org.uk/gdams-survey-2015/">on-line ballot </a> </p>
<p>The members of GDAMS plan to use the results to deepen discussion on non-military approaches to security.</p>
<p>At £38 billion a year, the UK has the sixth highest military spending in the world. This is before the extra money from other budgets and departments which is often found at short notice to fund foreign wars and interventions, is taken into account</p>
<p>Despite recent cuts to social welfare budgets, military spending is still far higher in the UK than in a number of much bigger countries, such as Brazil or India. It also represents a far higher percentage of national GDP than that of any other European country, and of almost all NATO members.</p>
<p>The GDAMS Coalition wants to see military spending shifted towards meeting social and environmental needs. The greatest drivers of insecurity include climate change, inequality between people and the abuse of natural resources, it says.</p>
<p>In his message to the Vienna Conference on Nuclear Weapons in December 2015, Pope Francis said: "The security of our own future depends on guaranteeing the peaceful security of others, for if peace, security and stability are not established globally, they will not be enjoyed at all. Individually and collectively, we are responsible for the present and future wellbeing of our brothers and sisters."</p>
<p>GDAMS is supported by almost 50 campaign groups and organisations from across the UK; including Campaign Against Arms Trade, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Pax Christi, Quaker Peace and Social Witness, War on Want, Stop The War Coalition and others.</p>
<p>Explaining why campaigners are opposed to high military spending, they say: "We are always being told that high military spending is necessary to maintain peace, create jobs and combat terrorism. This myth is promoted by governments and by multinational arms companies who benefit from the global arms trade politically and economically.</p>
<p>"Military spending prevents the money from being used to tackle much greater challenges; such as relieving poverty, improving health and protecting the environment."</p>
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Living EconomyPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefcaat. campaign against arms tradeglobal day of action on military spendingmilitary spendingpax christiQuaker Peace and Social WitnessStop the War CoalitionUK governmentUK Newswar on wantThu, 09 Apr 2015 23:00:00 +0000Agencies21591 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukMPs condemn 'unacceptable' TTIP threat to environmenthttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21499
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<p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership risks starting an “unacceptable” race to the bottom in environmental regulations, a parliamentary committee has warned.</p>
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<p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) risks starting an “unacceptable” race to the bottom in environmental regulations, a parliamentary committee warned yesterday (10 March 2015).</p>
<p>The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) made the claim in the report of its investigation into the potential impact of the trade treaty being negotiated between the EU and USA.</p>
<p>The EAC warned that TTIP’s regulatory cooperation agenda threatens to undermine the ‘precautionary principle’ that is central to protecting the environment and public health in Europe.</p>
<p>The anti-poverty human rights group War on Want has repeatedly warned of the threat posed by the deregulation agenda at the heart of TTIP.</p>
<p>John Hilary, War on Want’s Executive Director, who gave evidence to the EAC, said: “MPs are rightly alarmed at the grave threats that TTIP poses to the environment and to public health. The EU and US want a deal that puts corporate profit ahead of people and planet, and the UK government is cheering them on.</p>
<p>“Now is the time for all political parties to listen to the British people and say no to TTIP.”</p>
<p>The all-party committee highlighted the threat posed by the controversial new power to be given to US companies to sue the UK and other European governments under a new investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in TTIP.</p>
<p>The EAC report notes that ISDS will render “meaningless” any right to regulate now enjoyed by EU member states, and concludes: “A compelling case for the inclusion of an ISDS in TTIP has not yet been made.”</p>
<p>The committee also addressed TTIP’s impact on the peoples of the global South, and noted the many studies that predict serious losses for the poorest countries of Africa and Asia as a result of the agreement.</p>
<p>Read the EAC report here: <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news/ttip-report/" title="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/news/ttip-report/">http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-sele...</a></p>
<p>*War on Want <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/" title="http://www.waronwant.org/">http://www.waronwant.org/</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefEnvironmentEuropean UnionttipUK governmentUK NewsUS governmentwar on wantWed, 11 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000agency reporter21499 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukPressure on TTIP increases as over a million sign petitionhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/21157
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<p>Over a million people throughout the European Union have signed a petition against the TTIP privatisation trade agreement with the USA.</p>
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<p>Well over a million people throughout the European Union have signed a petition against the TTIP privatisation trade agreement with the USA.</p>
<p>The petition calls on the EU and its member states to block the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It says that key aspects of the treaty pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.</p>
<p>The petition also calls on the European governments not to ratify a similar deal that has already been completed between the EU and Canada.</p>
<p>The idea of tribunals that foreign investors would be able to use to sue governments is one particularly controversial provision.</p>
<p>Current European standards in employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer protection would a lll suffer if TTIP goes ahead in its current form, say campaigners.</p>
<p>In the UK, the possible implications of the private challenge provision for the National Health Service (NHS) are that the investor tribunals would make it harder to reverse any decisions to contract services out to international healthcare firms.</p>
<p>John Hilary of War on Want commented: "TTIP will make it impossible for any future government to repeal the Health and Social Care Act and bring the NHS back into public hands."</p>
<p>The petition has been organised as a European Citizens' Initiative, which can lead to a public hearing in the European Parliament and require the European Commission to give a formal response explaining why it is accepting or rejecting what the petitioners call for.</p>
<p>The European Commission says this petition does not qualify as such an Initiative. A legal challenge has already been launched against this 'inherently biased' EC decision.</p>
<p>"Some 340 cases are known to have gone to arbitration under existing trade and investment agreements with ISDS, a model in which decisions are made by arbitrators who are not accountable to anyone, under a process in which civil society has no right to know who has given evidence, what that evidence was, or what arguments were made, and has no right of appeal. Hence in a dispute between a company and a government, the decision may negate democratic government policy," says Jenny Parsons in a letter to the Guardian newspaper on 15 December 2014.</p>
<p>Former MEP Glyn Ford adds: "Europeans surely will want some say over the limits of US companies' tax avoidance manoeuvres in Europe. Equally, there will be a major stand-off between US and European-style regulation. They will need to be harmonised to bring the full benefits to both sides, but at the moment they are poles apart. Exactly where the compromise ends up matters.</p>
<p>"Globally TTIP is one leg of a triangle of deals. There are the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations between the US and 11 Asian Pacific countries, but dominated by Japan-US bilateral trade, and the EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement now in the final phase of negotiations. But if we want to negotiate from a position of strength, we should seal the deal with Japan first, getting Tokyo on board with our high standards of consumer, environmental and safety regulations. The EU-Japan deal would be the world’s biggest trade agreement, with only the TTIP as a potentially bigger deal."</p>
<p>There have been demonstrations across the world about TTIP and its implications, including a large recent one in Brussels. </p>
<p>* War on Want briefing on TTIP: <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/trade-justice/more/inform/18078-what-is-ttip" title="http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/trade-justice/more/inform/18078-what-is-ttip">http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/trade-justice/more/inform/18078-what-...</a></p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefNHSprivatisationTransatlantic Trade and Investment Partnershiptransnational corporationsttipwar on wantWorld NewsTue, 16 Dec 2014 16:41:59 +0000staff writers21157 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukLondon Fashion Week protest for garment workershttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20824
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<p>Protesters will today (12 September) take action to mark the opening of London Fashion week with the message “Don’t mention the garment workers”.</p>
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<p>Protesters will today (12 September) take action to mark the opening of London Fashion week with the message “Don’t mention the garment workers”.</p>
<p>Activists are highlighting an event which, they say, promotes the creativity of the UK’s fashion industry, but is silent over the millions of workers who produce clothes for high street chains, often working long hours on poverty pay in unsafe conditions.</p>
<p>The demonstration, organised by the anti-poverty charity War on Want, is taking place in view of London Fashion Week’s opening nearby at Somerset House.</p>
<p>Just before the catwalk shows begin, campaigners are sending the message to London Fashion Week “Don’t Mention The Garment Workers”.</p>
<p>London Fashion Week is promoting itself as big business, says War on Want, stating that orders estimated at £100 million will be placed during the event. The minimum wage for clothing factory staff in Bangladesh – where brands such as Primark and Next source clothes – is only £42 a month.</p>
<p>The demonstration will also raise concerns over garment workers in developing countries who work up to 14 hours a day. Large numbers of them suffer physical and verbal abuse and live in slum housing, says War on Want.</p>
<p>War on Want senior campaigner Owen Espley said: “London Fashion Week is a glittering showcase for the fashion industry. But fashion’s dark side is kept in the shadows.</p>
<p>“The British Fashion Council would rather we all forget about those who often work long hours, on poverty pay, in unsafe conditions to produce the clothes we love.</p>
<p>“We can love fashion, but hate sweatshops and want a fashion week that lives up to its responsibility to all the workers who make the fashion we buy. The time has come for London Fashion Week to mention the garment workers.”</p>
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Living EconomyNews Briefbangladeshgarment workerslondon fashion weekpoverty paysweatshopsUK Newswar on wantFri, 12 Sep 2014 09:33:22 +0000agency reporter20824 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukCalls for G4S to cut ties with Israel as half year profits announcedhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20727
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<p>As it announces its half-year figures, the world’s largest security company, G4S, faces growing pressure to end complicity in Israel’s torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians.</p>
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<p>As the world’s largest security company G4S announces its half-year figures, it faces growing pressure to end complicity in Israel’s torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians as it </p>
<p>The company has reported a pre-tax profit of £85 million for the six months to the end of June, compared with a loss of £94 million in 2013. Its shares were 0.5 per cent higher in early trade on the London Stock Exchange today (13 August) at 261.10p and its revenues showed a 4.2 per cent increase in North America, reflecting what it described as "strong performance" in its commercial security, compliance and investigations and electronic monitoring units.</p>
<p>In Latin America the company's revenues grew by 12.8 per cent to £325 million after it won contracts in ports, car manufacturing, transportation, financial services, telecommunications and raw material extracting industries. </p>
<p>G4S and its Israeli subsidiaries provide, install and maintain equipment inside Israeli prisons and in military checkpoints, such as the Erez crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Israel has restricted Palestinian’s movement via the Erez crossing, which is the only way for people to pass between the Gaza Strip and Israel.</p>
<p>According to Article 76 of the UN Fourth Geneva Convention – the 65th anniversary of which falls today (13 August) – governments must not transfer prisoners from occupied territory into the territory of the occupier.</p>
<p>However, over 5,000 Palestinians are currently held inside Israel, including 183 children. Of these, 175 are held under 'administrative orders' – a form of detention without charges or trial, used to hold people for indefinite periods and which is based on secret information.</p>
<p>Rafeef Ziadah, senior campaigner at the anti-poverty charity War on Want, said: “It is unacceptable that the British multinational G4S continues to profit from Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the collective punishment imposed on the population of Gaza. Universities, banks, charities and trade unions across the world have terminated contracts with G4S, costing the company millions of pounds. Our continued efforts to hold G4S to account are needed today more than ever.”</p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefG4SgazaIsrael Palestinemilitary checkpointsOccupied Palestinian TerritoriesprisonsUK Newswar on wantWed, 13 Aug 2014 09:21:40 +0000staff writers20727 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukShell heavily criticised for pollution ‘neglect’http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20702
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<p>Royal Dutch Shell faces heavy criticism that it has turned its back on the victims of human rights and environmental abuse caused by the company, despite UN pressure for urgent remedial measures.</p>
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<p>Royal Dutch Shell faces heavy criticism that the UK-listed oil giant has turned its back on the victims of human rights and environmental abuse caused by the company, despite United Nations pressure for urgent remedial measures.</p>
<p>The accusations came from the anti-poverty charity War on Want and its Nigerian partner Social Action, only days after Shell announced the firm’s second-quarter profits had more than doubled from £1.2 billion to £2.9 billion.</p>
<p>It also coincided with growing international pressure and protests in Nigerian on the third anniversary of a damning report from the UN Environment Programme about Shell’s disastrous impact on indigenous Ogoni in southeast Nigeria.</p>
<p>The charity launched its attack before thousands of Nigerians prepared to protest today (4 August), demanding that Shell assumes responsibility for cleaning up a toxic legacy of oil pollution in Ogoniland.</p>
<p>According to War on Want, the company has brought catastrophe to the indigenous Ogoni, in a region where estimates suggest over 70 per cent of people depend on the natural environment for their livelihood.</p>
<p>Since the 1950s, when Shell arrived in Ogoniland to extract oil, its people have suffered a half century of spills.</p>
<p>Faced with mass resistance by the Ogoni people, 1993 saw the company abandon oil extraction in their territory and it has never been allowed to resume. However, its pipes cross Ogoni territory and have continued to spew oil into the environment.</p>
<p>Wells from which the Ogoni take drinking water contain levels of carcinogenic toxins up to 900 times more than World Health Organisation guidelines.</p>
<p>Farming is increasingly futile, amid oil contamination that reaches five metres below the land surface and non-governmental organisations point to rising incidence of cancer and infant deformity, as well as lung and skin conditions.</p>
<p>The UNEP estimated the cleanup would take up to 30 years and said that Shell should put up $1 billion to get the work started. But three years later, Shell has yet to act.</p>
<p>Social Action spokesperson and Ogoni activist Celestine Akpobari said: “Shell has the power to do anything it wants in Nigeria, including having our people killed as it has done in the past. But are we expected to believe that it does not have the power to arrange for the cleanup of its own mess? These are double standards and lies. How many more years will the Ogoni people have to wait for something to be done about their toxic environment?”</p>
<p>Patrick Kane, senior programmes officer at War on Want, said: “Imagine the area you live in sullied by oil pollution, the air you breathe thick with fumes, water you drink poisoned, the ground beneath your feet saturated, with contamination reaching five metres below the surface, your crops wither and die, and disease and infant deformity increasing in your community. This is the grim plight of the Ogoni people.</p>
<p>“Shell has the political and economic power, as well as the responsibility, to ensure the cleanup takes place. It must act without further delay and make the funds available for the work. Shell has already brought enough suffering to the Ogoni people. The company must stop its stalling and act now for the sake of future Ogoni generations."</p>
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Living EconomyNews BriefnigeriaOgonioil spillpollutionroyal dutch shellunited nationswar on wantWorld NewsMon, 04 Aug 2014 10:10:08 +0000agency reporter20702 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukTop designer and charity join forces for garment workershttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/20254
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<p>War on Want is joining forces with political activist and fashion designer Katharine Hamnett to protect garment workers making clothes for UK retailers.</p>
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<p>The anti-poverty charity War on Want is joining forces with political activist and fashion designer Katharine Hamnett to step up efforts to protect garment workers making clothes for British high street retailers.</p>
<p>The collaboration is in the runup to the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster that cost more than 1,100 lives in Bangladesh last April.</p>
<p>Hamnett said: “I have donated the NO MORE FASHION VICTIMS slogan design to War on Want to mark the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster last April 24th 2013, in which over 1,100 Bangladeshi workers, mainly female garment workers, lost their lives.</p>
<p>“April 24th 2014 will be a huge moment in pushing for a better fashion industry, and I’m backing War on Want’s efforts to make real change happen.”</p>
<p>Adina Claire, at War on Want, said: “This is a real opportunity to send the message NEVER AGAIN to the fashion industry – thanks to Katharine’s backing as a highly respected designer and an activist. We are demanding safe and decent working conditions and pay for those who graft to make our clothes.”</p>
<p>Millions of ITV viewers saw Hamnett speak out against new evidence uncovering unsafe Bangladeshi factory conditions in the channel’s Exposure documentary, where she said: “the clothing industry is a stinking business and our clothes are covered in blood”.</p>
<p>The designer unveiled her T-shirt bearing the slogan “No More Fashion Victims”. On the reverse it continues ‘PAY LIVING WAGE NOW’, urging both safe and decent work for garment workers.</p>
<p>Over 100 brands have signed up to the legally binding Bangladesh Safety Accord, such as Arcadia, Bonmarche, Debenhams, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Matalan, Mothercare, New Look, Next, Primark, River Island, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.</p>
<p>Two of the world’s major brands, Gap and Asda, have failed to sign up.</p>
<p>War on Want said: "Together we’re focused on bringing all the brands into line and ensuring safe conditions for workers in Bangladesh. We will use the moment of this anniversary to publicly say 'never again' to these retailers."</p>
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Living EconomyNews Briefbangladesh safety accordgarment workersrana plazaUK Newswar on wantMon, 10 Mar 2014 09:25:31 +0000agency reporter20254 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukNew UK drone ‘field tested’ on Palestinians, says charityhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/19661
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<p>The new Watchkeeper drone being developed for the UK military is based on a model Israel has ‘field tested’ in attacks on Gaza, says War on Want.</p>
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<p>The new Watchkeeper drone being developed for the UK military is based on a model that Israel has ‘field tested’ in attacks on Gaza which left many Palestinians dead, including children, says War on Want.</p>
<p>The charity made this warning yesterday (12 December) in a report that demands the British government and the European Union end their support for Israeli violations of human rights and impose a two-way arms embargo.</p>
<p>The report points to boasts from Haifa firm Elbit Systems about its drones’ lethal power in Gaza and notes that over 800 Palestinians have been reported dead in Israeli drone raids.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago, Israeli drone strikes on Gaza killed 36 people. The mother of 12-year-old victim, Mamoun Aldam, said: “I held my Mamoun in my arms when he died and everything felt destroyed for me. I hope that he is the last child to be killed in Palestine.”</p>
<p>The UK Ministry of Defence awarded a near £1 billion contract for the new Watchkeeper drone to a joint venture between Elbit and its commercial partner, Thales UK. </p>
<p>The joint venture, UAV Tactical Systems, operates the overall Watchkeeper programme from its facility in Leicester, with work subcontracted to a host of other British companies.</p>
<p>The design and technology of the Watchkeeper is based closely on Elbit’s Hermes 450 model, which Israel has used extensively over Gaza.</p>
<p>Current British plans earmark the Watchkeeper for surveillance, but reports suggest the Royal Artillery hopes the drone will be able to launch weapons.</p>
<p>War on Want senior campaigns officer, Rafeef Ziadah, said: “By supporting the arms trade with Israeli companies, the British government is sending a clear message of approval for Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people. The European Union is sending a similar message through its research funding for Israeli arms companies. It is high time both the UK and the EU ended their support for Israel’s violations of international law.”</p>
<p>Ministers from the previous UK government rejected Israeli assurances that UK arms would not be deployed against civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, the current administration now has 381 extant arms licences to Israel, worth £7.8 billion.</p>
<p>Elbit and other Israeli defence firms receive research subsidies from the European Union’s multibillion security research programme.</p>
<p>The War on Want report comes days before scheduled discussions on defence and security issues at the European Council summit in Brussels (19-20 December).</p>
<p>* The report can be downloaded here (*.PDF Adobe Acrobat document): <a href="http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Killer%20Drones,%20War%20on%20Want.pdf" title="http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Killer%20Drones,%20War%20on%20Want.pdf">http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Killer%20Drones,%20War%20on%20Want.pdf</a></p>
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Living EconomyPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefdrone strikesdronesgazaisraelOccupied Palestinian TerritoriesUK governmentUK militaryUK Newswar on wantThu, 12 Dec 2013 10:22:08 +0000agency reporter19661 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk